iPad DungeonMoto 1.1 Released ($.99) Arcade/RPG (Dev)

The neo-retro arcade exploration and hack-and-slash rpg game, DungeonMoto has just released its 1.1 version, incorporating a number of enhancements and fixes:

- Added "environmental themes" to the levels. The DungeonMoto now explores different types of terrains as it advances through each level: forest, descending into dungeons constructed from various types of stone and brick, etc. Some dungeon levels can also be pitch black

- The "swipe and lift" controls have been improved and are now much more responsive. The Dungeonmoto can now literally stop on a dime (or is that a gold coin?) and head off in the opposite direction

- Virtual D-Pad support has been added by request. When enabled, tap in a convenient corner of the screen to make a D-Pad appear, then start tapping or dragging as you like. This feature supports 4-way movement while exporing and 8-way movement in combat

- Combat turn speed controls have been implemented for those who want a faster combat experience

- DungeonMoto auto-saves the current game at the beginning of each level. This saved game can be resumed the next time you start DungeonMoto by tapping "Journey Onward" and then "Resume Previous Journey"

- Added more robust pausing capabilities. The game can be suspended, settings can be adjusted and game restarts can be accessed from the pause menu by tapping the special button at the bottom of the exploration screen

- Mysteries are now distributed randomly throughout the levels because, let's face it, monsters just aren't that organized

- Added new levels

- Fixed an area on level 12 that wasn't accessible

- Fixed a bug in combat that would intermittently prevent the player's image from flashing properly

Forgot about this but it was on my wishlist so I got notified when it was updated, so I finally grabbed it. I like it! It's kind of like Pac Man meets Archon with potions. Very retro-inspired graphics that, despite being inconsistent in pixel count and graphical still give me a nice, warm and fuzzy retro feel that brings me back somewhere between the days of the Commodore PET and Odyssey 2 or Intellivision graphically, and the Commodore 64 sonically. It's kind of a retro tech mashup, really, and although I'd normally nitpick about picking one era's technological properties and sticking with it, it kind of works here to encompass both the late 70s and early 80s.

Oddly though, it's the sound and music that seem like they're the most out of place. I think it's because the graphics, being somewhere between the PET and O2/Intellivision/2600, were from an era where background music wasn't really a part of console gaming, especially not with FM synthesis; that really started with the 8-bit computer era, so it ends up making the game feel like it's trying to stretch itself across too many eras in gaming. I actually ended up turning off the music to make it mostly retain its older stylings. (The sounds effects are still FM, but they're sparse enough to keep the truly old school feel.)

That's probably just my own quirkiness in retro preferences though, but despite that the game still delivers a very cool retro arcade feel. If I could make a couple of suggestions for battle mode though:

1) You should also add the ability to initiate an attack by moving in the direction of an enemy you want to attack, in addition to tapping on the enemy.
2) There should be a visual indication when you attack and miss. It's sometimes hard to tell if I actually missed or my tap just didn't register. This combined with point 1 would solidify the battle experience to make it feel concrete.
3) Rather than, or in addition to, shake to activate a blue potion, you should have a button in the top right perhaps to activate a potion. It's unlikely to interfere with slide to move (though it might interfere with the virutal D-pad -- but who uses the D-Pad at the top?) and would feel more natural than shaking. It would also make more sense to people who might not have read the instructions fully, like me; it took me 6 levels before I had to go back to the iTunes description to find out what the blue potions were and how to use them.

I tried out the D-Pad to move as well but found it just didn't work for me. The swipe-and-lift works very well, though personally if you could engineer it so that you didn't have to lift (ala Sword of Fargoal) I think it would work even better.

Oddly though, it's the sound and music that seem like they're the most out of place. I think it's because the graphics, being somewhere between the PET and O2/Intellivision/2600, were from an era where background music wasn't really a part of console gaming, especially not with FM synthesis; that really started with the 8-bit computer era, so it ends up making the game feel like it's trying to stretch itself across too many eras in gaming.

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Without making me feel/sound TOO old... When you think back to some of the RPG games released in the early 80's (Ultima III, in 1983, for example), DM strives for a similar 4-bit "hi-res" color graphics look of an Apple II and using a combination of 1-bit speaker sound plus FM and similar sound generation from a Mockingboard or AE Phasor (hey, that's how I played those games, anyway )

I can't say that we haven't added a few colors to the palette, put a "half-pixel" in here or there, used a little bit more alpha or crafted sounds that we felt were essential but not 100% to the era, but the L&F I described is certainly the "goal".

Thanks for the other feedback as well. We look forward to incorporating these and other enhancements in the future.

Without making me feel/sound TOO old... When you think back to some of the RPG games released in the early 80's (Ultima III, in 1983, for example), DM strives for a similar 4-bit "hi-res" color graphics look of an Apple II and using a combination of 1-bit speaker sound plus FM and similar sound generation from a Mockingboard or AE Phasor (hey, that's how I played those games, anyway )

I can't say that we haven't added a few colors to the palette, put a "half-pixel" in here or there, used a little bit more alpha or crafted sounds that we felt were essential but not 100% to the era, but the L&F I described is certainly the "goal".

Thanks for the other feedback as well. We look forward to incorporating these and other enhancements in the future.

--R

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Don't worry about feeling old. I'm right there with ya.

I suppose I can see what you're aiming for -- and like I said it still does a very good job of covering that retro ground pretty accurately, it just gives me a feeling of a game written for a machine made from parts of different machines. Mine you, while I had access to an Apple //e back in the day, but never owned one, and I did play games on it, but it didn't have any special cards or anything other than an 80 column card -- no special sound card or anything, so it was strictly single-channel pure tones and noise. And a green monitor. (Wee!)

It doesn't completely represent any specific machine to me, but it does do a really good job in the overall L&F you were going for in making the whole thing accurately retro, which is the important part. Plus, the gameplay itself has a very retro feel, aiming more for arcade style score-based play, and it does a good job of recreating that feel.

Glad to hear more enhancements are forthcoming. Looking forward to them.

I reviewed this in the app store. I think it's a good start, but definitely needs plenty more. I like the idea behind the maze coin collecting, pac-man style mixed with encounters. It's way too simplistic right now for repeat performances (IMO), but add chests, armor, weapons, experience/hit points, magic..the usual dungeon crawler fixings, and you have a fantastic combo. Also, I'd much rather see monsters lurking about the maze instead of question marks. That would give the game more character sort of speak. If you're going avoid question marks (which are visually uninteresting), they might as well be what they actually are. The traps can be represented in a different way.

Imagine collecting the coins, while seeing a random chests appear, or some armor in one of the dead end corners of the maze, waiting for you to make the run. Perhaps one dot can be larger and a different color - run over it, it's a min-shop for upgrades.. well, you get the picture. I'm sure you weren't aiming for this to be rogue-like affair, but it can remain arcade-ish and still have more depth then it does now.